A stud and bail assembly is used most often as a handle to open drawers, cabinet doors, or the like. Usually, a combination of studs, rosettes, and a bail are used. A pair of studs are placed on the pintles of a bail, and a rosette is placed on each stud. This assembly is then mounted onto the face of a surface such as a drawer and locked into place usually by a pair of screws. It is also known to substitute the rosettes with a decorative backplate with holes to accommodate the studs. This assembly is then attached to the face of a surface such as a drawer to form a handle.
In a typical stud-bail assembly, the bail is left to swing freely because the stud-pintle assembly forms a rotational joint. This swinging action allows the bail to impact the mounted surface causing damage to the finish of the contacting surface or backplate. Therefore, stops are required on the bails to restrict the bail from making contact with the underling surface to prevent damage. Typically, stops are formed on the underside of the bail to prevent the bail from swinging down onto the mounted surface. However, this stop configuration does not prevent the bail from swinging upwards to hit the mounted surface or backplate at the top of where the bail assembly is mounted. Furthermore, the stops themselves can cause minor damage to the rosettes, backplate, or the underling surface after repeated impact.
Another problem with known stud-bail assemblies is shipping and handling. Typically, the studs and rosettes are held on the pintles of the bail with rubberbands during shipping or the pieces are shipped as loose components that require assembly during mounting. Handling many individual components, whether loose or held together by rubberbands, poses disadvantages such as increasing the chance of missing parts, longer assembly time, and more complex inventory.